


But you'll always be my hero

by doomedpassion2yaoi



Series: BRAVE [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-04-06 15:42:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4227537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doomedpassion2yaoi/pseuds/doomedpassion2yaoi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prequel/Companion to At Skyfall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Revised

Natsu skids to a halt in front of Zeref. His chest heaves with panting breaths. His fists ignite in flame, as do his feet. He moves to lunge when Zeref smiles and casually flicks open the book of END.

The ethernano in the air charges with energy. It becomes oppressive and suffocating in its heat. They sink into the ground and re-emerge as black sparks spiral around Natsu’s feet. He stiffens. He tries to jump out of the rising circle of black fire to no avail and He slams against it with his dragon flames.   His dragon fire sputters against it. Black fire covers his every cell and intrudes in everything he’s ever believed. His memories from four hundred years ago return.

_“Natsu-bocchan, Zeref-sama doesn’t want to be disturbed.”_

_The young cherry haired boy ignores his minder’s frantic and perturbed warnings. He giggles as he rushes to his onichan’s study. The door is closed and he pouts._

_“Onichan?” The child gnaws at his bottom lip and wriggles his toes against the wooden floor. “Play?”_

_“Go away! I’m trying to study!”_

_“Onichan!” The pink haired child bursts into tears and wails._

Thank you Igneel, who reminded me to have courage and faith in love and nakama.

I guess a part of me has always known. I wish I’ve always just had only Igneel.

Even at their remote locations, they can tell there is change in spiritual pressure. Natsu’s Dragon Slayer presence seems to be swallowed by a dark power so strong they shiver from their skin all the way into their marrow.

The collective “what the fuck?” is palpable.

“I remember now.”

They arrive just in time to hear Natsu’s voice and painn issue from a body completely foreign to them. The figure before them has golden horns sparking with black fire and a flowing cherry mane. His fingers and toes are curved into claws. He is still dressed as the Natsu they know, but his cloak and pants are in tatters. His left shoulder is covered in sparks from the interference between Fairy Tail’s guild mark and one signifying Tartaros.

They stare frozen at the open book in Zeref’s hands. Here, the horror they hoped to prevent is the face of their friend, their nakama. Natsu is END, and Zeref’s little brother? At least he still cares for us and Fairy Tail? And it may not be enough.

“Onichan is onichan!” Natsu’s eyes glisten with tears. He wipes at them furiously, but they refuse to stop flowing. “I won’t do it.”

His tears drop to the ground and they begin to spark with hellfire.

Gray falls from the sky with his arm covered in his demon killing ice. He lands directly behind Natsu who hasn’t seemed to notice him at all.

Zeref raises his arm and dark energy concentrates at his fingers. It curves around Natsu’s body towards Gray.

The Devil Slayer skids backward as he raises his ice covered arms to block the blow.

“I think this will go better without distractions, Natsu. Don’t you?”

“I’m not going to kill you.”

“You shouldn’t be able to…”

“Break the command you implanted in my body?” Natsu moved into a fighting stance. “Please, Onichan, when have I ever allowed anyone to control me? I beat the shit out of whoever tries. But I’m not going to kill you.”

“Be my guest.”

Natsu lunges, his body covered in black hellfire and streaks of red dragon flame and sparks of yellow dragon lightning.

From behind, Gray fires an arrow from his Zeroth Destruction Bow straight towards Natsu.

“Thank you.” Natsu smiles and his eyes are filled with unshed tears and so much love and compassion it hurts to look into them. His body is pliant and accepting of the attacks. The fire that swirled around him flows out of him into the heavens and detonates like a hundred thousand phoenixes.

_They are lying next to each other on the sand exhausted from awakening Second Origin for the Grand Magic Games. Natsu shifts closer and curls into Gray’s cooler body._

_“Gray, make love to me.”_

_“Always.” Gray presses his heart into Natsu’s body through his lips and his hands._

_“Promise?”_

_“Forever.”_

_They are in the garden. The heavens are illuminated by stars and the ground by fireflies._

_“Look onichan. Flying lights.”_

_Zeref grunts._

_“They’re so pretty!” Natsu giggles chasing after the pretty flying lights. He wants to catch one for his big brother. He looks back. Maybe they’ll make big brother happier._

_Natsu keeps running and skids to a halt at the pond. The pretty flying lights are too fast and fly too high. He pouts. But he can get one if he gets up high too. He climbs up clumsily onto the stone rail. He trips._

“I’ll take your darkness with me, Gray. Onichan. I’ll take it with me so you can live because I’ve been living on borrowed time. It’s time for me to give it back.”

Natsu’s tears spring from his eyes and he falls.


	1. Revised vers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized I mistakenly posted this revised version earlier under "At Skyfall".
> 
> I'm sorry for confusing those of you who read the _incorrectly_ labeled version that was posted under "At Skyfall".

Natsu skids to a halt in front of Zeref. His chest heaves with panting breaths. His fists ignite in flame, as do his feet. He moves to lunge when Zeref smiles and casually flicks open the book of END.

The ethernano in the air charges with energy. It becomes oppressive and suffocating in its heat. They sink into the ground and re-emerge as black sparks spiral around Natsu’s feet. He stiffens. He tries to jump out of the rising circle of black fire to no avail and He slams against it with his dragon flames.   His dragon fire sputters against it. Black fire covers his every cell and intrudes in everything he’s ever believed. His memories from four hundred years ago return.

_“Natsu-bocchan, Zeref-sama doesn’t want to be disturbed.”_

_The young cherry haired boy ignores his minder’s frantic and perturbed warnings. He giggles as he rushes to his onichan’s study. The door is closed and he pouts._

_“Onichan?” The child gnaws at his bottom lip and wriggles his toes against the wooden floor. “Play?”_

_“Go away! I’m trying to study!”_

_“Onichan!” The pink haired child bursts into tears and wails._

Thank you Igneel, who reminded me to have courage and faith in love and nakama.

I guess a part of me has always known. I wish I’ve always just had only Igneel.

Even at their remote locations, they can tell there is change in spiritual pressure. Natsu’s Dragon Slayer presence seems to be swallowed by a dark power so strong they shiver from their skin all the way into their marrow.

The collective “what the fuck?” is palpable.

“I remember now.”

They arrive just in time to hear Natsu’s voice and painn issue from a body completely foreign to them. The figure before them has golden horns sparking with black fire and a flowing cherry mane. His fingers and toes are curved into claws. He is still dressed as the Natsu they know, but his cloak and pants are in tatters. His left shoulder is covered in sparks from the interference between Fairy Tail’s guild mark and one signifying Tartaros.

They stare frozen at the open book in Zeref’s hands. Here, the horror they hoped to prevent is the face of their friend, their nakama. Natsu is END, and Zeref’s little brother? At least he still cares for us and Fairy Tail? And it may not be enough.

“Onichan is onichan!” Natsu’s eyes glisten with tears. He wipes at them furiously, but they refuse to stop flowing. “I won’t do it.”

His tears drop to the ground and they begin to spark with hellfire.

Gray falls from the sky with his arm covered in his demon killing ice. He lands directly behind Natsu who hasn’t seemed to notice him at all.

Zeref raises his arm and dark energy concentrates at his fingers. It curves around Natsu’s body towards Gray.

The Devil Slayer skids backward as he raises his ice covered arms to block the blow.

“I think this will go better without distractions, Natsu. Don’t you?”

“I’m not going to kill you.”

“You shouldn’t be able to…”

“Break the command you implanted in my body?” Natsu moved into a fighting stance. “Please, Onichan, when have I ever allowed anyone to control me? I beat the shit out of whoever tries. But I’m not going to kill you.”

“Be my guest.”

Natsu lunges, his body covered in black hellfire and streaks of red dragon flame and sparks of yellow dragon lightning.

From behind, Gray fires an arrow from his Zeroth Destruction Bow straight towards Natsu.

“Thank you.” Natsu smiles and his eyes are filled with unshed tears and so much love and compassion it hurts to look into them. His body is pliant and accepting of the attacks. The fire that swirled around him flows out of him into the heavens and detonates like a hundred thousand phoenixes.

_They are lying next to each other on the sand exhausted from awakening Second Origin for the Grand Magic Games. Natsu shifts closer and curls into Gray’s cooler body._

_“Gray, make love to me.”_

_“Always.” Gray presses his heart into Natsu’s body through his lips and his hands._

_“Promise?”_

_“Forever.”_

_They are in the garden. The heavens are illuminated by stars and the ground by fireflies._

_“Look onichan. Flying lights.”_

_Zeref grunts._

_“They’re so pretty!” Natsu giggles chasing after the pretty flying lights. He wants to catch one for his big brother. He looks back. Maybe they’ll make big brother happier._

_Natsu keeps running and skids to a halt at the pond. The pretty flying lights are too fast and fly too high. He pouts. But he can get one if he gets up high too.   He climbs up clumsily onto the stone rail. He trips._

“I’ll take your darkness with me, Gray. Onichan. I’ll take it with me so you can live because I’ve been living on borrowed time. It’s time for me to give it back.”

Natsu’s tears spring from his eyes and he falls.


End file.
